WHILE thousands of festival goers partied in Cyfarthfa Park on Sunday, hundreds more flocked into Merthyr Tydfil for a very different type of gathering.

The Merthyr Tydfil Bus and Coach Rally 2011 saw more than 100 classic coaches, cars and motorbikes from across Wales and further afield drop into town.

More than 1,000 people of all ages packed out the Rhydycar car park to get an up close look at the classic vehicles. Trips laid on in the vintage buses to the Brecon Mountain Railway and the Rhymney Brewery, as well as open-top bus tours of Merthyr, were packed out all day.

The vintage vehicles, some of which date back to the 1950s, transported Merthyr back to a bygone era and enthusiasts at the event said that this year’s show - the seventh annual rally to be held in Merthyr - was the best one yet.

“The general consensus of opinion was that this rally was the best one ever,” said Mike Taylor, chairman of the Cardiff Transport Preservation Group who organised the event. “And the weather on Sunday helped us a lot.”

Buses converging from different parts of the UK shared the Tarmac with historic council coaches from Caerphilly, Pontypridd, Cardiff, Newport, the Rhymney Valley and Islwyn.

A favourite with the crowds was a 45-year-old 100 seater double decker which saw 20 years service in Hong Kong in the 60s and 70s.

Mr Taylor said: “The young kids loved getting onto the buses and having a look around.

“They loved going up the stairs and having a look up on the top deck. They were so excited that something with two wheels had an upstairs. You just don’t see those kind of vehicles in the valleys.

“It was a day of nostalgia, heritage and history.

“The older people were saying ‘I remember going to school on these buses, this was probably the seat I sat in’.”

The event, which was sponsored by RT Williams vehicle repairs, 60 60 coaches and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, also attracted 40 classic cars including three American autos - a 1959 Ford Fairlane, a 1972 Buick Riviera and a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.